a record of the life and times here at the phillips pottery in abilene, texas.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Thoughts from Michael Cardew

"...there has always been a struggle between the adherents of the JustPrice and those of the Natural Price, between idealism and realism. Thedoctrine of the Just Price says that a thing's price should represent thejust reward for faithful and diligent work, sufficient to maintain themaker and his family on what is described as frugal comfort. The adherentsof the Natural Price say that prices are simply regulated by supply anddemand: a thing is worth no more, and no less, than what it will fetch.

The first, with its ethical emphasis, tends to be the view of the honestand industrious artisan. The second is that of the businessman. A potterwho in any degree feels himself to be an artist should I think incline tothe second rather than the first. In spite of its idealism, the doctrineof the Just Price is rather narrow and limited. Honesty, in its deepestinterpretation may indeed (as E.M. Forster suggests) 'get us to heaven';but for the artist, there is no salvation except through his art. 'Art islike roses: it's a rich feeder'; it cannot flourish without wealth in someform. It may be, as the poet says, 'Above Either', yet 'the argument isbetter for Affluence than Poverty'.

The arguments for the just price, say first, that potting is a way of life,not a means to other more limited ends. The potter is working to supplyhis neighbour's needs and for the love of the work itself. Being honest,he will be industrious, and this too helps his art; the more he practicesit the better his work becomes. Therefore he aims to make as many pots ashe can, and this will keep his prices moderate. He works for people likehimself, who are mostly of the hard-working but impecunious middle classes,at need even for the really poor. He would undermine his own integrity ifhe so priced his pots that only the rich and great, whose motives arefalsified by the search for status-symbols, can afford to buy them. Ifthey buy his pots they will not use them, but imprison them in glass cases.That market is soon saturated, and leads to no new inspiration. For thetrue potter, inspiration springs up not in vacuo but in response to thereal needs of daily life.

The argument for the other side says that the market is ethicallyimpartial; its prices, governed by the mechanism of supply and demand, maybe disastrously lower or absurdly higher than the Just Price. A potter'soutput is limited in quantity, and there comes a point where if he tried toforce himself to increase his output, the quality would suffer. It is truethat good pots are best made quickly; but it takes a long training before apotter reaches this stage unless he is content to make mediocre pots. Hischief aim is not to make pots quickly but to make pots which are 'quick'and not dead. If his work is good, the demand for it will normally tend toexceed the supply, and its market value will then inevitably rise. It isperhaps only in heaven that 'good design costs no more than bad.'

Faced with the choice of abandoning the Just Price or betraying the qualityof his work, he will prefer the work. If he keeps his eyes too narrowlyfocused on how quickly and efficiently he can make pots he will be puttingeconomic and ethical values above the quality, technical and aesthetic, ofwhat he makes. His work is his raison d'etre and to his work he owes hisfirst loyalty. Though price is not his preoccupation he will not waste hisenergies by pitting himself against the forces of the market, just as hewould not try to use his hands to beat a machine at its own work. Whetherhis inspiration is to make humble domestic utensils or gigantic andmonumental pots (and a good potter usually wants to make both kinds), hiseyes are not fixed on what prices these things will fetch but on what inhis dedicated egoism, in the bottom of his heart, he wants to make. Richor poor, he is by nature free and not a slave."

5 comments:

Wow, what a great post! Warren Mackenzie and Clary Illian come to mind as current day models of the 'just price' philosophy. Is this also another way of discussing craftsman vs artist? Or have I gotten ahead of the argument?

Hi Brandon, This is just perfect, I just want to make good pots at affordable prices, i'd rather sell 10 good pots a t a reasonable price than one not so good pot at an inflated price. it's all about being able to sleep well at night. and feeling good about getting up the pottery the next day. getting the balance right, is the key.!